Showdown in Yokohama

Japan, Czechs aim for Women’s Worlds in Malmo

The Czech Republic and Japan aim for the top division of the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship in Malmo. Photo: Juris Berzins-Soms

ZURICH – Japan and the Czech Republic will play a best-of-three qualification series in Yokohama, Japan, 8-11 November 2014, to determine the qualifier for the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship in Malmo, Sweden.

The series is played between the bottom-ranked women’s team of the Olympics (Japan) and the Division I winner (Czech Republic). Japan as the higher-ranked team earned the right to host the event.

This series will determine the last team to join the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship where the qualifier will play in Group B with Germany, Switzerland and Sweden.

The loser will play in the 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship Division I Group A in Rouen that also includes Norway, Denmark, host France, Austria and Latvia.

The qualification series was established for the new season because the IIHF Statutes & Bylaws don’t specifically outline a promotion/relegation mode for the Women’s World Championship Program during an Olympic year that for the first time included events for teams in the lower divisions in 2014.